Where does “маг” come from?
маг (Russian) comes from Ancient Greek Μάγος, from Old Persian 𐎶𐎦𐏁, from Proto-Iranian magúš, from Proto-Indo-Iranian magʰúš, from Proto-Indo-European megʰ-ú-s, from Proto-Indo-European megʰ- — to be able.
маг (Russian): mage
Definitions
- mage
Ancestry of “маг”, step by step
маг traces back through two separate lines of ancestry.
via Ancient Greek Μάγος
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Ancient Greek | Μάγος | magician, and derogatorily sorcerer, trickster,... |
| 2 | Old Persian | 𐎶𐎦𐏁 | priest |
| 3 | Proto-Iranian | magúš | — |
| 4 | Proto-Indo-Iranian | magʰúš | — |
| 5 | Proto-Indo-European | megʰ-ú-s | — |
| 6 | Proto-Indo-European | megʰ- | to be able |
via Old Persian 𐎶𐎦𐎢𐏁
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Old Persian | 𐎶𐎦𐎢𐏁 | (magūš) It is a hapax legomenon known only from the Behistun inscription where it is used as a title (?) of persons. Sometimes said to be the term for a Zoroastrian priest, or for a magician, or for a sub-tribe of the Medes; these interpretations are formed by Greek Μάγος and μάγος |